lets talk movies
working at a movie theater, you'd think i would have the opportunity to see more movies than ever before. however, its becoming more a juggle of bits and pieces, flashes of story and sound, and always... always, the ruin of an ending.
i've also noticed that people who work at a place that specializes in film aren't really there because they are passionate about the purpose of the building. it's a weird thing for me to grasp. because yeah, i like a paycheck, and selling buckets of popcorn, and cleaning up while the credits roll, but i also really really love film! and being close to it, working with the projectors, theorizing on every itty bitty piece of the artwork that's being presented (and likewise sharing those ideas) is simply intoxicating. and yet. and yet, i am alone mostly in a sea of, well, not that. i would be depressed about it. but i'm too happy for that.
because hey, i work at a movie theater. :D
as a side note, here's some recommendations and what-not:
Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn in 3D (which is very important. and i don't even like 3D, but this isn't 3D that you know, this is 3D as it should have been and will always be)
steven spielberg redeems himself to the action/adventure world with a globe-trekking mystery, a high seas swashbuckle, revenge, treasure, daring escapes, a plucky hero with his drunken captain sidekick, and a marvelous dog named snowy. peter jackson produced, weta is responsible for the absolutely amazing animation, and vocal talents of jamie bell (be still my heart), andy serkis, and daniel craig made this film surpass my expectations and a yearlong impatient wait.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
did anyone ever think another mission movie was going to be made? yes. did anyone ever think it would actually be good? no. well it is. brad bird puts a refreshing wax on a faded car and boy, does it shine. tom cruise is joined by jeremy renner, simon pegg, and some pointless plot point female (sorry, my only problem with the film. halfway through i turned to my friend and said "wait, why is she even in this movie?") and for the most part they make a grand team, dodging bombs and dedicated but mislead local authorities, leaping tall buildings, masquerading as bad men, getting their intellects bruised by other bad men, and racing against the clock -one adrenaline pumping moment after the next- to save the world. very good popcorn movie. and tom cruise don't look to shabby for being elderly :)
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
let me preface this with saying that i wanted to hate guy ritchie's take on the classic (and personally beloved) icon of literature. but the first film won over my hardened heart. the second blew me away.
packed with more action than the first, and pitted against a greater villian, robert downey jr teams up with jude law again in roles they look so dapper in, and traverse the globe to stop a madman (a genuis, twisted for evil) from... well, i don't want to give it away. at any rate, its a breathtaking adventure. rdj is back to his precise and delightfully fascinating deducing ways -and also messing up watson's life- whilst watson returns to complaining loudly but going along with the plan anyway.
i guess a lot of critics hated it. but i disagree. especially when they come down on ritchie's trademark slo-motion. there is a scene when our heroes are racing through the woods, trying to outrun a deadly aim and some rather large ammunition and the variations of speed he uses to accentuate and tell this story is simply beautiful. its like a dance. but it's really a piece of art. i wanted to yell to dan to rewind it, but of course, in a theater, that's just impossible. :D
Sunshine
i found out about this film from searching on youtube one day for beautiful soundtracks (i'm kinda a nerd like that) and i found a collection of someone's favorites, which included a remastering of a track from this movie. i vowed, based on the music alone, that i would someday see this film. netflix supplied and i was instantly in love.
the story itself hides many interesting layers (ones i would love discuss with someone, anyone, or may just pop up in a better post of opinions) and each character plays a specific role to give a whole spectrum of understanding. as these scientists plow through space, juggling their collective egos and differences of opinion, dealing with the glaring intensity of the worth of a single life (or a few lives) vs the survival of an entire planet, they are hurdling to save the sun from dying, and make a decision that could cost them everything. there's also a beautiful emphasis on eyes. plus chris evans and cillian murphy have great chemistry as men against each other, completely opposite ways of thinking, both trying to accomplish the same goal. its a great film and danny boyle has since emerged as one of my favorite directors.
28 Days Later
i love a good zombie flick as much as the next person and this film was recommended to me dozens of times. it was after my happy experience with sunshine (danny boyle and cillian) that i finally gave in and rented it. i found myself to be without a definitive opinion when the credits finally roled, such was the tumultuous journey of jim and selena. i guess some people really hate the second half, where the journey of the four main characters becomes pitted against a group of military fellows (and their questionable 'cure' for survival). to me, it seems to blend well, because then it became clear that, like the layers in 'sunshine', this film too had so much more to say. it is a zombie film, yes, but it's also a film about rage... and true monsters. there is scene where jim goes literally primal to save selena and hannah and selena mistakes him for being a zombie, almost killing him. that was were it clicked on for me. i could have done without seeing cillian's full frontal but overall it was a good, albeit, violent film, which is acceptable because, hey, it's a zombie movie. :)
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
its been on my instant queue for ages and andy finally chose it for us to watch. while andy hated it completely, i took an opposite stand of flower power love! haha.
ok, so it's cheesy. and some of the background stuff is really bad, and the love story is pointless and inappropriately timed. and beetle's don't really peel out like that... but its entertainment. it has a certain spaghetti western quality (based off a comic from italy, after all) and the leads are perfect and work very well together. plus its hilarious.
brandon routh, that hunky hunk who played superman many moons ago and won over my heart again as evil ex #3 todd ingram, stars as dylan, and sam huntington gets a shine off the well-deserved spotlight as his recently-zombified sidekick. there's mystery and bad romance and comedy and pretty good special effects and death and funny facial expressions and big guns, so it really is worth a watch (although not too critical an eye).
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
this film was hard for me. i wasn't too keen on watching it, as i am not the biggest fan in the box of the others, but i was pleasantly surprised as i turned out to like it, in a general not-excitable sense.
big props go to andy serkis, who i may dislike on a personal level, but truly find myself awed at his work. gollum, captain haddock, ceasar... his ability to immerse himself in a character makes you forget its a man behind the curtain every thing. james franco was likewise subdued in his character, which i was really ok with.
although, throughout the entire film i couldnt help thinking about that woman who had her face nearly ripped off by a chimp. made this movie a whole bucket of monkeys scarier than i think was actually intended,
Dive!
a documentary on dumpster divers and the waste of america. sort of disheartening and regardless of the moral clarity, very thought-provoking. really makes you rethink what mounds of food you leave on you plate.
The Three Musketeers
why shouldn't you see this film? because milla jovovich is terrible and matthew macfadyen is forgettable. why should you see this film? because luke evans is a beautiful man, and orlando bloom be crazy.
also, it's ridiculous and too much and oh, ridiculous. i did think logan lerman pulled off his role well and mads mikkelsen was villainous and fantastic, as always. but the rest: just a big dumb disappointment.
i've also noticed that people who work at a place that specializes in film aren't really there because they are passionate about the purpose of the building. it's a weird thing for me to grasp. because yeah, i like a paycheck, and selling buckets of popcorn, and cleaning up while the credits roll, but i also really really love film! and being close to it, working with the projectors, theorizing on every itty bitty piece of the artwork that's being presented (and likewise sharing those ideas) is simply intoxicating. and yet. and yet, i am alone mostly in a sea of, well, not that. i would be depressed about it. but i'm too happy for that.
because hey, i work at a movie theater. :D
as a side note, here's some recommendations and what-not:
Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn in 3D (which is very important. and i don't even like 3D, but this isn't 3D that you know, this is 3D as it should have been and will always be)
steven spielberg redeems himself to the action/adventure world with a globe-trekking mystery, a high seas swashbuckle, revenge, treasure, daring escapes, a plucky hero with his drunken captain sidekick, and a marvelous dog named snowy. peter jackson produced, weta is responsible for the absolutely amazing animation, and vocal talents of jamie bell (be still my heart), andy serkis, and daniel craig made this film surpass my expectations and a yearlong impatient wait.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
did anyone ever think another mission movie was going to be made? yes. did anyone ever think it would actually be good? no. well it is. brad bird puts a refreshing wax on a faded car and boy, does it shine. tom cruise is joined by jeremy renner, simon pegg, and some pointless plot point female (sorry, my only problem with the film. halfway through i turned to my friend and said "wait, why is she even in this movie?") and for the most part they make a grand team, dodging bombs and dedicated but mislead local authorities, leaping tall buildings, masquerading as bad men, getting their intellects bruised by other bad men, and racing against the clock -one adrenaline pumping moment after the next- to save the world. very good popcorn movie. and tom cruise don't look to shabby for being elderly :)
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
let me preface this with saying that i wanted to hate guy ritchie's take on the classic (and personally beloved) icon of literature. but the first film won over my hardened heart. the second blew me away.
packed with more action than the first, and pitted against a greater villian, robert downey jr teams up with jude law again in roles they look so dapper in, and traverse the globe to stop a madman (a genuis, twisted for evil) from... well, i don't want to give it away. at any rate, its a breathtaking adventure. rdj is back to his precise and delightfully fascinating deducing ways -and also messing up watson's life- whilst watson returns to complaining loudly but going along with the plan anyway.
i guess a lot of critics hated it. but i disagree. especially when they come down on ritchie's trademark slo-motion. there is a scene when our heroes are racing through the woods, trying to outrun a deadly aim and some rather large ammunition and the variations of speed he uses to accentuate and tell this story is simply beautiful. its like a dance. but it's really a piece of art. i wanted to yell to dan to rewind it, but of course, in a theater, that's just impossible. :D
Sunshine
i found out about this film from searching on youtube one day for beautiful soundtracks (i'm kinda a nerd like that) and i found a collection of someone's favorites, which included a remastering of a track from this movie. i vowed, based on the music alone, that i would someday see this film. netflix supplied and i was instantly in love.
the story itself hides many interesting layers (ones i would love discuss with someone, anyone, or may just pop up in a better post of opinions) and each character plays a specific role to give a whole spectrum of understanding. as these scientists plow through space, juggling their collective egos and differences of opinion, dealing with the glaring intensity of the worth of a single life (or a few lives) vs the survival of an entire planet, they are hurdling to save the sun from dying, and make a decision that could cost them everything. there's also a beautiful emphasis on eyes. plus chris evans and cillian murphy have great chemistry as men against each other, completely opposite ways of thinking, both trying to accomplish the same goal. its a great film and danny boyle has since emerged as one of my favorite directors.
28 Days Later
i love a good zombie flick as much as the next person and this film was recommended to me dozens of times. it was after my happy experience with sunshine (danny boyle and cillian) that i finally gave in and rented it. i found myself to be without a definitive opinion when the credits finally roled, such was the tumultuous journey of jim and selena. i guess some people really hate the second half, where the journey of the four main characters becomes pitted against a group of military fellows (and their questionable 'cure' for survival). to me, it seems to blend well, because then it became clear that, like the layers in 'sunshine', this film too had so much more to say. it is a zombie film, yes, but it's also a film about rage... and true monsters. there is scene where jim goes literally primal to save selena and hannah and selena mistakes him for being a zombie, almost killing him. that was were it clicked on for me. i could have done without seeing cillian's full frontal but overall it was a good, albeit, violent film, which is acceptable because, hey, it's a zombie movie. :)
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
its been on my instant queue for ages and andy finally chose it for us to watch. while andy hated it completely, i took an opposite stand of flower power love! haha.
ok, so it's cheesy. and some of the background stuff is really bad, and the love story is pointless and inappropriately timed. and beetle's don't really peel out like that... but its entertainment. it has a certain spaghetti western quality (based off a comic from italy, after all) and the leads are perfect and work very well together. plus its hilarious.
brandon routh, that hunky hunk who played superman many moons ago and won over my heart again as evil ex #3 todd ingram, stars as dylan, and sam huntington gets a shine off the well-deserved spotlight as his recently-zombified sidekick. there's mystery and bad romance and comedy and pretty good special effects and death and funny facial expressions and big guns, so it really is worth a watch (although not too critical an eye).
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
this film was hard for me. i wasn't too keen on watching it, as i am not the biggest fan in the box of the others, but i was pleasantly surprised as i turned out to like it, in a general not-excitable sense.
big props go to andy serkis, who i may dislike on a personal level, but truly find myself awed at his work. gollum, captain haddock, ceasar... his ability to immerse himself in a character makes you forget its a man behind the curtain every thing. james franco was likewise subdued in his character, which i was really ok with.
although, throughout the entire film i couldnt help thinking about that woman who had her face nearly ripped off by a chimp. made this movie a whole bucket of monkeys scarier than i think was actually intended,
Dive!
a documentary on dumpster divers and the waste of america. sort of disheartening and regardless of the moral clarity, very thought-provoking. really makes you rethink what mounds of food you leave on you plate.
The Three Musketeers
why shouldn't you see this film? because milla jovovich is terrible and matthew macfadyen is forgettable. why should you see this film? because luke evans is a beautiful man, and orlando bloom be crazy.
also, it's ridiculous and too much and oh, ridiculous. i did think logan lerman pulled off his role well and mads mikkelsen was villainous and fantastic, as always. but the rest: just a big dumb disappointment.